


Lessons in Sliding

by julietofmayfair



Category: The Alienist
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 20:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julietofmayfair/pseuds/julietofmayfair
Summary: A reimagining of Chapter 31 of The Angel of Darkness.Mr. Picton teaches Stevie all the tricks to a perfect slide.





	Lessons in Sliding

  
The mood that evening at our Ballston Spa residence was nothing short of ecstatic as everyone prepared for our little night out at Saratoga. Although not every member of our group was looking forward to - as Mr. Moore had so eloquently put it - "lose their wanton souls" at the Canfield's, you could see on everyone's faces that the short break was definitely appreciated. That day's findings had left us all in high spirits, and so we all headed cheerfully to our bedrooms to get dressed for the night, Mr Moore's joyous laughter - and the occasional shout of 'hurry up!' - echoing through the hallways.

Once I'd finished putting on the monkey suit - which was already becoming uncomfortable to me - I quickly made my way downstairs, not wanting to be the last one to turn up. To my surprise, the reception room was empty. I took a peek into the nearby rooms, and found the Doctor and Cyrus sitting on the far side of the living room. They seemed engaged in conversation, so I went back to the foot of the staircase to wait for the others. I ran my hand up the big, oak polished banister, my graceless tumble head first into the door coming to mind. I was still thinking about that disaster when a voice from above called out to me, making me turn.

"I've had my fair share of falls thanks to this staircase," said Mr. Picton, leaning on the banister at the top of the stairs, his sharp suit fitting him perfectly, "A slip is almost guaranteed unless you know the trick, but once you learn that, oh, it's smooth sailing!"

He pulled out his watch, making a note of the hour, and then flashed a smile at me, calling me up with his hand.

"The others are taking their sweet time getting all dressed up, so why don't we have that sliding lesson I promised you, eh, Master Taggert?"

I have to admit, I was so excited by his sudden proposition I almost forgot all about our plans for tonight, and raced up the stairs as quickly as I could, taking the wide, carpeted steps two at a time. I was happy to have that little bonding moment with our host, a man who seemed to be as fun and easy-going as he was smart. From the moment I'd met him I knew he was a likable man - his energetic, rapid fire speech a quality that made him, despite Mr. Moore's warnings, incredibly endearing -, and his detailed and thorough retelling of Libby Hatch's story left it clear that he was studious and clever, and somebody who we were lucky to have on our team.

As I arrived at the top of the stairs, Mr. Picton leaned back on the banister, lifting a finger as if he was prepared to state his case.

"Now, Stevie," he said, his voice grave and clear. Him calling me by my name gave me a big sense of comraderie, and I got closer so as to not miss a thing. "The last time you tried this, you almost knocked a hole on the door."

"Yeah," I said, feeling my cheeks getting red, "I think I was going too fast."

"Ah, but speed is not the problem here, Stevie! We actually _want_ to go fast! It wouldn't be very fun otherwise, now would it?" he gave me a smile, which I returned with a nod, "No, I think your problem was your stance. You tried to go forward, and that made you lose your balance. See this old banister? It's real slippery, so you have to lean back when you're sliding down. That will help you keep up with the speed, and it will also make the final jump a lot easier."

I nodded again, eager to put all of my newly found knowledge to the test. Before I had the chance to, however, Mr. Picton hoisted himself up onto the railing and slid down, his coat tails flying behind him. As he safely landed on his feet, he looked up and grinned, giving me a thumbs up and signaling it was my turn.

I still cannot find the words to describe how joyful I felt while watching him glide down those stairs. The whole scene looked so simple and so refreshing that in that moment all of the horrors what we've uncovered during the Hatch case seemed distant and out of place. Still feeling that welcoming happiness, I hopped on the banister, took a deep breath, and pushed, sending me flying down at a staggering speed. I remembered Mr. Picton's lesson and kept my body as he had said I should, and at the bottom of the stairs I jumped right on time, earning me a perfect landing. A loud laugh escaped my lips, and Mr. Picton gave me a hearty pat on the back.

"Now that's more like it, Stevie!" he cried, a big grin on his face, "Looks like the student has surpassed the teacher!"

I smiled at his flattering remark, the red tint coming back to my cheeks, and thanked him for the expert tips. I was still under the effects of that small adrenaline rush - hopping from feet to feet instead of standing still -, and as I saw that no other members of our group were approaching, I bolted up the stairs again for one more try at the railing. I was already seated and ready to go when I saw Mr. Moore and Miss Howard appear next to me, both of them dressed in their fanciest garments. When they saw me up on my perch, Mr. Moore sighed, crossing his arm in annoyance.

"Now what in hell are you doing Stevie?" he said, "We don't have time for this nonsense right now, get your ass down from there and let's go."

"Come on, John, it's not like the casino is going anywhere," Miss Howard replied, smoothing her skirt, "Besides, we still need to wait for the Isaacsons."

"I bet they're still up there arguing about their clothes, the princesses," Mr. Moore grumbled, tapping his foot as he checked his watch.

"I was gonna slide down the banister," I finally chimed in, earning me some weird looks from the both of them. Before they could bring up my previous failed attempt, I told them all about my lessons in sliding with Mr. Picton, getting a laugh out of Miss Howard. Mr. Moore just rolled his eyes, obviously growing impatient by our conversation, and my following question did nothing to change his mood.

"Why don't you two try it?"

I thought Mr. Moore might have tried to push me off the stairs for that - you don't want to be the one standing between him and a night of gambling -, but to my surprise, and luck, he only shook his head.

"Stevie, we're grown ups," he said, locking eyes with me, "We're not gonna slide down the _damned_ railing! Now, let us all go downstairs and-..."

Before he could finish his thought, Mr. Picton's voice boomed from below, loud and clear.

"If you wanna get down here that bad, Moore, then jump on that banister and slide!", Miss Howard and I laughed at the comment, causing Mr. Moore to scoff. Downstairs, Mr. Picton continued his taunt, "Or are you not grown up enough for that?"

At that, Miss Howard came forward and stood next to me. She smirked, then tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I guess I have no option but to go first and show John how it's done," she said, waiting for me to get down from the railing then hopping on herself. Once up on the ledge, she turned towards us, then gave Mr. Moore a final, incitive wink, "See you downstairs!"

And with that, down she went. Even from the top of the stairs I could hear Mr. Picton's laughs and cheers, probably congratulating Miss Howard on her flawless landing. Still trying to contain my own giggles, I turned to Mr. Moore, who was now wearing a defeated look on his face. I didn't have to utter a word: closing his eyes and letting a big sigh out he slowly moved to the railing and hoisted himself up.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it," he surrendered, "Otherwise we're still gonna be here when the Canfield's closes."

"Good luck, Mr. Moore," I said, unable to hide my smile, "Don't look down."

He shot me one last sour look - and probably, in his mind, some curses - and then sent himself sliding down. I could see from his shaky posture he had underestimated the slipperiness of the banister - that and the tiny yelp that escaped his mouth, of course -, but at least he managed to land on his feet, even if narrowly avoiding a fall. The others crowded around him, jokingly clapping and cheering, and I could see Mr. Moore trying to break free, heading for the door. Deciding not to cause him any more pain, I hopped on the banister again, ready for my final descent, but once again I was interrupted by another pair, this time the Isaacsons, who had finally finished dressing up.

"What's been going on here?" Marcus asked, still carrying his suit jacket on his arm, "We heard laughs and shouts even from up in the third floor."

"We were sliding down the banister," I answered again, watching the brothers' confused faces, "Do you wanna try, Detective Sergeants?"

"Oh no, I'll pass," said Lucius, already going for his little handkerchief, "I haven't done that since I was 10, when Marcus almost pushed me off the sta-"

"Okay, first of all, I did _not_ push you off the stairs, Lucius, you just lost your balance," Marcus interrupted, holding a hand out to stop his younger brother, " _Second_ , you seem to forget the time when you-..."

" _Al_ right, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get going," I said, not wanting to be caught up in their bickering, "I'll see you two there!"

With a final push I was off, sliding down with ease, using every trick Mr. Picton had taught me. I savored every second of it, the joy of that fleeting moment one I knew I would not feel again in the coming weeks. I prepared myself for the jump, and expertly leapt into the air. Now, had this been like any of my previous attempts, I would have landed perfectly. But, as luck would have it, it was not, and because I failed to quite literally look before I leap, I gracefully sent myself crashing into the Doctor's arms.

"Stevie, are you alright?", he asked, still holding on to me and looking at me with both concern and curiosity in his eyes. Cyrus had also approached after hearing the collision, and the Detective Sergeants both ran the last steps down to see if everything was okay.

"Yes," I uttered, letting go of the Doctor's hold, "I'm so sorry, Doctor, I was just sliding down the stairs and I didn't see you walk in, and-"

"We were just having some fun, Doctor," Mr. Picton chimed in, smiling at me, "Just a little something to get our minds off of the case. Isn't that right, Master Taggert?"

"Fun, huh?" the Doctor asked, turning his black eyes on me. For a second I thought he might scold me, but he just gave me one of his small smiles. Looking back, I'm sure he understood just how much pressure this daunting case was putting on all of us, especially me.

"Well, that sounds wonderful," he said, tousling my hair, "but do be careful the next time, yes? You don't want to hurt yourself, or anybody else for that matter."

I nodded, happy I hadn't caused him any pain or injury. I proceeded to explain to him and Cyrus that Mr. Picton had volunteered to teach me the tricks I needed to know for a good slide, and I was halfway through my retelling when Mr. Moore's sharp, annoyed voice made me stop.

"Now that we're all _finally_ here," he said, already opening the front door, "how about we get out and head to the trolley station once and for all? I also want to have _my_ fun, you know."

"Certainly," said the Doctor, "and while we walk, Stevie, do tell me more about Moore's attempt at the banister."

We all burst out laughing at the joke - all expect Mr. Moore, that is -, and eventually we all filed out of the house, leaving our Ballston Spa residence for the night. Under that clear, peaceful sky, the eight of us walked without fear or worry, enjoying the moment and letting our tired minds wander, the Hatch case nothing more than a long forgotten dream.

I wish I could turn back time now.

**Author's Note:**

> (disclaimer: i don't know jack about sliding down stairs)


End file.
